A Review of the ";60 Minutes"; MMA Segment

Here are some quick thoughts and a recap of tonight’s “60 Minutes” piece that focused on MMA’s growing popularity:

The piece really played up Spike TV’s Shamrock vs. Ortiz special, which outdrew that night’s Major League Baseball playoff game. This was how they introduced the segment, so I got the feeling the producers wanted to establish MMA’s legitimacy (and yes, they said MMA, not “ultimate fighting”) from the get-go.

Pat Miletich is a great spokersperson for the sport. He does a great job of explaining MMA to everyday people, including journalists.

Dana White got much love from “60 Minutes” and was credited heavily for the UFC’s growth. However, as is the case oftentimes, they credited him seemingly exclusively for getting the sport sanctioned in 22 states. The reality is that this was in the works before Zuffa LLC purchased the organization.

“60 Minutes” credited MMA’s growth with the induction of rules and weight classes.

They spent a good portion of the segment talking about Matt Hughes and his popularity, interviewing him at his farm in Illinois. They used him as an example of how college-educated, “all-American” athletes are involved in MMA — not just bar-room brawlers.

They did mention how boxing is, according to some studies, more dangerous than MMA.

The “60 Minutes” reporter rolled with fighters, including Tim Sylvia. He was obviously interested and entertained doing this, and it really gave the impression that “60 Minutes” went in-depth with this piece.

The Gracies were credited properly with their impact on MMA.

They say more content and interviews are now posted on the “60 Minutes” section of cbsnews.com.

Overall, I thought it was a very fair and positive piece for MMA and the UFC — just like I thought it would be.

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